Simple: make them feral or stray animals (domesticated animals without human owners). note Terminology wise, "feral" refers to a domestic animal who have little-to-no human socialization, while "stray" refers to tame pet animals who have no owners, such as pets who got loose or were abandoned.

This trope is a general staple of Xenofiction. It can be seen as the animal equivalent of Conveniently an Orphan. Sometimes the protagonist will go From Stray to Pet at the end, though it's even more common for the main characters to start as pets who became strays (instead of being born feral).

There are some implications that the goats in Arashi no Yoru ni are domestic goats, such as Mei owning a scarf and the fact that they live near an abandoned barn.

Chirin from Ringing Bell is a farm lamb that runs off to get revenge for his mother after a wolf kills her.

Leafie, a Hen into the Wild is about a factory farm hen who manages to escape. Leafie tries to home with the farmers more well-kept chickens however they refuse to have a hen like her around. Leafie ends up living by the local lake and raises a duckling. Somewhat deconstructed as by the end Leafie is noticeably sick and aging, even taking into accord chicken lifespans. She's not suited for the wild and likely would have died soon even without her Heroic Sacrifice.

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure is about Lady's and Tramp's only son Scamp, who hates being a pet and wants to be a stray. He escapes his home, befriends a female puppy named Angel with the opposite views from him, and hangs out with a group of strays. Ultimately he decides being a pet is best and goes back home.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is about a feral stallion who is captured by humans. They try to tame him but ultimately fail to. In the end Spirit returns to the wild along with his mate, who was presumably born into captivity.

Tailchaser's Song is about several communities of feral cats. They see "m'an" as unpredictable and dangerous. The main lead is a tom named Tailchaser who goes on an adventure.

Warrior Cats centers around entire societies of feral cats living in the wild and their interactions with each other/struggles against nature; the general consensus among the cats themselves is that Humans Are Cthulhu and should be avoided whenever possible. "Kittypets" in Warriors are looked down upon and some cats even consider them inferior. The series is considered the Spiritual Successor to Tailchaser's Song.

Survivor Dogs, which is written by writers using Erin Hunter's (the writers of Warrior Cats) Pen Name, is about feral dogs. A "Lone Dog" stray named Lucky who was staying at a pound manages to escape after an earthquake. He soon learns that all humans have exacuated the area and left their pets behind. Lucky ultimately forms a pack with a group of ex-"Leashed Dogs".

Played with in Windrusher. Tony (or "Windrusher" as other animals call him) is a cat who is abandoned by his humans. The plot revolves around him trying to get back to them.

The Call of the Wild is probably the Ur-Example. It is told from the perspective of a dog who becomes a sled dog during the Yukon gold rush, and begins to act increasingly feral as he fights off the other dogs. In the end, his last owner is killed and he joins a wolf pack.

Varjak Paw is about a pampered pet kitten who is forced to venture outside in order to save his family. Varjak must learn to adapt to living on the streets. He ends up befriending several strays and also gets into trouble with a local gang of cats.

In Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria, a group of cats are enclosed with protecting a library of mystical books from evil hands. It stars a pet cat named Marco who becomes homeless and comes across the descendants of the original cats. An elderly cat named Cicero decides to take Marco as his trainee so that he can become the next protector of an important book.

Stray by A.N. Wilson is a dark tale about a cat named Pufftail. It follows his life from a kitten to a grandfather. It shows Pufftail at different stages, from the various owners he's had to his time, being tested in a labratory, to his time on the streets.

The Dogs Of The Drowned City series is about a German Shepherd named Shep. After a hurricane forces his human family to evacuate, Shep is forced to leave his home and venture out on his own. He ends up creating a pack with other dogs that he meets.

Catwings is about a stray city cat who gives birth to kittens who have wings.

The Tygrine Cat is about a stray cat named Mati who meets a group of street cats who live near a marketplace. Mati doesn't realize it at first but he's the last of an ancient, magical breed of cat who the Big Bad, a cat named Mithios, wants to kill in order to steal the spirits of all cats.

The Good Dog by Avi is about a Malamute named McKinley who meets a wolf named Lupin who is trying to persuade dogs to leave their owners and join her pack.

Doglands by Tim Willocks is about a half-Greyhound puppy named Furgul born into a camp for racing Greyhounds. He runs away after the abusive owner tries to kill him. Furgul ends up living on his own from thereon.

The Wild Road is about a pet kitten named Tag who begins having prophetic dreams. He leaves his home to go on a journey to fulfill the prophecies.

A Dog's Life is about a dog named Squirrel who was born in a shed. It goes into detail about her life as a feral dog from puppyhood to senior. She's ultimately taken in by an elderly woman and renamed "Addie". Unlike most examples, the story doesn't sugarcoat the life of a feral dog. Squirrel and the other dogs she meets are presented as suffering from malnutrition and frequent illness. Squirrel is constantly moving around and she gets into several fights with other starving dogs.

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